


What He Had Always Wanted

by AKnightOfAGoodKing



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Birthday Fluff, Family, Friendship, Gen, Genderfluid Character, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:55:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28736082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKnightOfAGoodKing/pseuds/AKnightOfAGoodKing
Summary: Jack never knew what he wanted for his birthday.[DO NOT REPOST/REUSE MY WORK(S) WITHOUT MY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND PERMISSION]
Relationships: Jack Atlas & Fudou Yuusei & Crow Hogan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	What He Had Always Wanted

**Author's Note:**

> A birthday fic I didn't write on Jack's birthday, but the spirit is there! I love you, Jack Atlas!!! 
> 
> Context: my 5D's Crow is he/him afab, but he didn't start doing that until he was at least ten, hence she/her pronouns in this piece.

On the birthdays he did remember, Jack never knew what he wanted. Well, actually, as a Satellite orphan, there was a lot to ask for, like food, clean water, and a roof over his head, but those were what he _needed_. Jack needed a lot of things, but he wasn't sure what he _wanted_ , or if he had ever wanted anything. Sure, he wanted his family, the one from before Zero Reverse, but even if he was just a kid, he wasn't dumb enough to wish for something he couldn't get back. There was no such thing as going back in time; what had happened, happened, and it was stupid to think otherwise. 

So, on his 10th birthday, Jack kind of dreaded blowing out his birthday candles. Though they couldn't afford much, Martha always threw a celebration for birthdays, decorating the main room of the orphanage with colorful paper, and made a small cake for everyone. Everyone helped, either with decorating or baking. Crow and Yūsei were delegated to entertaining Jack until they were ready. 

"Jack, what are you going to wish for?" Crow asked the dreaded question. They were sitting outside, doing nothing more than kicking dirt. She looked at Jack curiously. 

Jack shrugged. "I don't know," he said, "I don't know what I want." 

"That's why getting presents for you is so hard," Yūsei said. He blinked. "What about a rock?" 

"Why would I want a rock?" 

"Some of them are very pretty."

"Yūsei, you're dumb."

"Hey!" Yūsei huffed, crossing his arms and pouting.

"I have one!" Crow cut in, not because she was worried about a fight breaking out but because she was kind of excited, and she pulled out a black marker, its label mostly faded out. She probably found it at the junkyard they went to last week, it was new. "Give me your hands, Jack!"

"What are you going to do?" Jack asked, not doing that at all. 

Crow wrinkled her noise, shaking her head. "Not tell you, you can to close your eyes too."

"That doesn't sound reassuring at all. No way."

Yūsei kicked the back of his shoe. "Just let her do it," he said, taking Crow's side. "I'll stop her if it's something embarrassing, promise."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Fine, but if I don't like it, I'm throwing you up a tree." He held out his hands. 

"Close your eyes!" Crow repeated again, grabbing Jack's right hand and turning his palm up. She narrowed her eyes at him to make him do it. 

An exasperated sigh. "I'm doing it, I'm doing it." And he closed his eyes, which got a laugh from Crow.

He heard the cap of the marker pop off and felt its wet tip on his skin. He couldn't really copy mentally what Crow was drawing or writing on his palm becuase she was doing it so fast, he just knew it was pointy and had a lot of lines. That didn't help, but whatever.

When she stopped, Jack was about to open his eyes to see, but Crow said, "Not done yet! Your turn, Yūsei." 

"Oh, okay."

Jack grumbled, but he kept his eyes closed, feeling Yūsei take his other hand. Yūsei's turn was easier to follow because he was a bit more careful, he drew something around and wrote a few words down. 

"Here," Yūsei said, probably handing the marker back to Crow, and the cap was placed back onto it. 

"Can I look _now_?" Jack asked. 

"So impatient, jeez," Crow said. " _Yes_ , you can open your eyes now."

Jack did so, looking down at his hands. 

On his right, there was a crude drawing of a bird that Crow made to resemble her with a headband and spikey hair. It was a messy drawing, but she was seven and her style had always been messy. Underneath it, she wrote, **h** **appy birthday! -crow-sama**. She wrote it so big that the last bit ran down to his wrist.

And on his left, there was a drawing of a crab. It was better with cleaner lines, but the proportions were off. Still, Yūsei was only eight and never drew without a ruler. He wrote something too, his writing still chicken scratches no matter how carefully he tried: **H** **appy birthday**.

Jack had just turned ten today, and even at this age, he knew that these weren't works of art. They were just childish drawings that will fade the moment he washed his hands, never to be seen again, and maybe, a few years down the line, he'd forget about them entirely. 

But despite all that, at this very moment, Jack really couldn't ask for anything better. Somehow, for some reason, there was both a weight and lightness in his hands, like he had a part of the world in his palms and had the strength to hold it up. 

Looking up, Jack saw the big smiles on Crow's and Yūsei's faces. "Happy birthday, Jack!" they both shouted, throwing their hands in the air. Their eyes were lit with joy, one pair resembling a sunny sky and the other the clouds. 

That was when Jack realized that this year, he didn't have anything to wish for not because he didn't know what he wanted. But because what he had always wanted, he finally had. 

Overwhelmed, Jack pulled them—his best friends, the ones he called his brother and sister, _his family_ —for a hug, surprising Crow and Yūsei who took a second to respond back. They wrapped an arm each around Jack, returning his gesture. 

"Thank you," he said softly, clutching his fists on the back of their shirts, and he burst out into laughter. 

"What are you laughing about?" Yūsei asked.

"I don't know, I just felt like it."

Crow hummed. "You're both dumb today," she said, which got loud protest from both of her brothers.

She just cackled. 

"Jack! Yūsei! Crow! It's time, come on in, you three!" 

Martha was standing at the threshold of the door, waving them over with a smile. 

"Coming!" Crow shouted, and she and Yūsei started pulling Jack into a run.

The marker was already starting to wear off, though Jack didn't mind. After all, he still had a bird in one hand and a crab in the other. A silly image, and Jack was laughing again.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my YGO Tumblr: [@the-kings-of-games](https://the-kings-of-games.tumblr.com)


End file.
